Chapter 238: Worse Than a Beast of Burden

Chapter 238 -230: Worse Than a Beast of Burden

Liu often bragged about her family affairs, saying she had two capable beasts of burden at home that she didn’t even have to feed much. Though her family wasn’t wealthy, she, Liu, lived the life of a young mistress.

Which of the village women, who toiled endlessly both in and out of their homes, hadn’t heard her boasts? The story had long since spread throughout all of Huangtuo Village; there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Liu gave a forced laugh and hurried forward to pat Bai Zhi’s shoulder. “You silly girl, that was so long ago. Why do you keep bringing it up? It wasn’t on purpose back then. We just forgot for a moment, that’s all. Now that you’re doing well for yourselves, don’t we, the Bai Family, deserve some of the credit? Think about it—if it weren’t for our Bai Family, would a little slip of a girl like you have even grown this big?”

‘Was she telling me to be grateful and repay their kindness?’

Bai Zhi sneered inwardly. ‘The intentions of these two vile women couldn’t be more obvious. They’re just after the potatoes in our sacks, aren’t they?’

‘If they weren’t trying to get something out of us, why on earth would people like them ever approach me to talk?’

‘They want some? Heh… I refuse to give them any. I’d sooner feed the potatoes to dogs than give anything to those heartless, ungrateful beasts.’

“You said it yourself—let’s not bring up the past. My mother and I served your Bai Family as beasts of burden for years. Any kindness or debt between us has long been canceled out. So, just as you said, there’s no need to mention the past. And in the future, don’t act all familiar and try to cozy up to us. We don’t have relatives like the Bai Family.”

That single sentence cut off any path forward. How could they possibly ask her for potatoes now?

Old Mrs. Bai’s eyes darted. “Of course,” she said. “It’s written clearly in the separation agreement. From now on, our two families will go their separate ways and have nothing more to do with each other.”

“However, even though we’re no longer family, we are still fellow villagers. And it’s only right for villagers to help one another in times of need.”

A smile played on Bai Zhi’s lips as she stared at Old Mrs. Bai’s wrinkled face, curious to see what kind of story she would spin.

Old Mrs. Bai’s gaze finally fell upon the sack of potatoes. “I hear you had a bumper crop of potatoes. I imagine they’re hard to sell right now. How about this? We know a lot of people; we can help you sell them. There’s strength in numbers, you know. It’s always better than you and your mother trying to handle everything on your own.”

‘How could she even say such a thing with a straight face? Forget about anyone else here believing her—she probably couldn’t even convince herself.’

Bai Zhi waved a hand dismissively. “That won’t be necessary. We’re not worried about selling our potatoes; we’ll sell them all soon enough.” With that, she turned and shouted to the women washing clothes by the river, “In a few days, I’d like to invite all you aunts and uncles to come help us harvest potatoes! I’ll pay you all for your work.”

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this. The wheat seedlings in the fields weren’t mature yet, so most of them were idle at home. The chance to use this free time to earn a little money for their households was more than welcome.

Someone asked, “Zhi, how on earth did you grow your potatoes? Why are they ready so fast? I remember when we used to plant sweet potatoes, it would take a full two or three months for them to develop, and they never got as big as yours.”

Bai Zhi smiled. “I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Otherwise, it’d be impossible to get a harvest planting potatoes so late.”

The moment they heard she had a secret, everyone stopped their chores and crowded around her. “What’s the secret? Would you be willing to teach us?” Everyone’s eyes shone with excitement.